City plans 'Big Dig' sequel

It's a neighborhood of wooden fences and pastel homes on Second Street near campus. A neighborhood of oak trees and spacious lawns. Restful. \nNot for much longer.\nAn archaic storm water culvert needs to be replaced, and Bloomington Utilities plans to uproot the intersection of Second and Washington streets this summer to fix the problem. \nCars now snake around piles of gravel and construction equipment at the intersection of Second Street and Park Avenue.\nAssistant City Engineer Jonathan Heald said the $2.8 million project will mirror the "Big Dig" that shut down Kirkwood Avenue for three months during the summer. It will be open for bids in late February.\nLike the Kirkwood project, a new culvert will replace a storm water route that is more than 100 years old. And also similar to the Kirkwood project, construction will require digging a 30-foot trench.\nHeald said the city was targeting the intersection because of its history of trouble. The entire system collapsed about a decade ago, taking a house with it.\nThe city is now tearing up the street to make preparations. While city utility relocation will not start until March, Ameritech plans to relocate its lines in early April. \nBlair Klein, an Ameritech representative, said phone services in some parts of the city might temporarily be down.\nThe project itself is expected to get under way in early May. The timing is the same as the Kirkwood construction, scheduled after the bulk of the student body leaves to cut down on traffic congestion.\nDespite municipal loans and other forms of assistance such as a marketing campaign, the Kirkwood project took a toll on local business. The Kerasotes movie chain shut down the Von Lee Theater, 509 E. Kirkwood Ave., a local landmark. Company spokesman Bob Gallivan cited the slowdown of foot traffic. \nMax and Linda Wildman, the owners of Gables Restaurant, 114 S. Indiana Ave., cited the construction with their decision not to renew the lease.\nOther than the closings, some downtown merchants were up in arms over not being accessible to customers.\nWhile some businesses near the residential neighborhood should be affected, Heald said the upcoming project is more likely to raise quality-of-life issues.\n"We expect a lot of complaints about the noise," he said. "And, some trees might have to be uprooted"